Mil News Western Europe Military News

[pigmode]

U.S. And Dutch F-35s Have Flown Without Radar Reflectors During First Week Of 'Falcon Strike 2022'

Some of 5th gen. aircraft have operated in “full stealth mode” to train in the most realistic scenarios. As we already reported, F-35s from Italy, United

theaviationist.com

 

[muck]

Next step:
"Buy some white flags from France"

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

& @Hiryu2.0

Visegrad24 has a clear anti-German bias, not to mention their great many other F***-ups throughout the year. Don't just swallow everything they serve you. At International Fighter Conference, for example, the German Air Force said that there will be no cuts to the F-35 order nor to the Typhoon ECR's. Case in point, the German government has just put out to tender construction work for Büchel Air Base to house these 50 aircraft.

As a matter of fact, the only reduction discussed in earnest right now concerns a third series of K130 corvettes – the necessity of which is debatable anyway. I think I commented on that issue two years ago. The idea was it would be cheaper to build new corvettes than have the first five vessels undergo a mid-life update. But apparently, the supposed fiscal benefits are questionable at best. Which shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who learns that this entire plan was hatched by one Siemtje Moeller, member of parliament for Emden – where the K130 corvettes are built.

For legal reasons, I'm sure she stood to gain nothing from the idea.

 

[BravoZulu]

Royal Navy frigates and destroyers will get a significant boost to their long-range precision strike capabilities following a new partnership between the UK and key NATO and Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) ally, Norway.

Strengthening defence ties between the UK and Norway, the Royal Navy will receive the Naval Strike Missile (NSM), outfitted on a total of eleven Type 23 frigates and Type 45 destroyers, in a collaboration with the Norwegian government.

Measuring nearly 4 metres long, the NSMs are a fifth-generation missile using integrated sensors and autonomous target recognition to precisely strike enemy ships and targets on land at distances of more than 100 nautical miles (115 miles) at high subsonic speeds. It can elude enemy radar and defence systems by flying at sea-skimming altitude and using evasive manoeuvres.

Announcing the maritime capability upgrade, the Defence Secretary also met with Northern Group Defence Ministers on board the Royal Navy’s flagship, HMS Queen Elizabeth, alongside in Oslo

Replacing the Harpoon surface-to-surface weapon, due to go out of service in 2023, the world-class anti-ship missile will be fitted to three vessels at pace and will be ready for operations onboard the first Royal Navy vessel in a little over 12 months. The collaboration will result in more ships equipped with the highly sophisticated naval strike missiles which in turn will contributes in enhancing the security in our common areas of interest.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/royal-navy-ships-to-be-fitted-with-advanced-new-missile-system

 

[pigmode]

New images show new frigate HMS Glasgow before ‘launch’

Drone images show how HMS Glasgow, the first of eight Type 26 Frigates being built on the River Clyde, looks ahead of entering the water for the first time this week.

ukdefencejournal.org.uk

 

[pigmode]

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

 

[BravoZulu]

The Armed Forces of Norway signed a contract for the purchase of Polish Piorun MANPADS from the Mesko company, which have proven themsleves well in Ukraine, including countering UAVs and cruise missiles.

As the Mesko company, which is now part of Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa, announces, Norway will be the third country after the USA and Estonia that has decided to purchase Piorun MANPADS. Ukraine received Piorun for free at the beginning of February 2022.

Back in the spring of 2022, it became known that Raytheon, the manufacturer of MANPADS FIM-92 Stinger, doesn’t have time to replenish the missile supply fast enough. On the other hand, Mesko announced in April that it was going to triple Piorun MANPADS production. The arms market is now very competitive, so some lose, some gain.

As a reminder, the Piorun (“Lightning”) MANPAD is a deep modernization of the Grom MANPAD, which during development had the name Grom-M. That is, this is already the third generation of MANPADS relative to the Soviet Igla.

https://mezha.media/en/2022/11/30/t...which-have-proven-themselves-well-in-ukraine/

 

[BravoZulu]

Germany will match NATO's target to spend two percent of GDP on defence by 2025, a government spokesman said on Monday, as Berlin looks to make up for years of underinvestment.

Germany was "determined to come as close to the two-percent target as possible with the options we have and to reach the two-percent target in this legislative period", ending in 2025, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's spokesman Steffen Hebestreit told a regular press conference.

Days after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Scholz announced a 100-billion-euro ($106-billion) fund to beef up Germany's military defences and offset decades of chronic underfunding.
But the spending programme has struggled to get off the ground, as industry strains to keep up with demand and key purchase plans are held up.
"A balanced and resilient transatlantic partnership also requires that Germany and Europe play active roles," Scholz wrote in an article for Foreign Policy magazine published on Monday.

Germany would increase its investments to hit NATO's spending target and develop an army "that we and our allies can rely on", Scholz said.
However, the goal could not be reached "overnight", Hebestreit said.

There were "European regulations to observe", as well as procurement challenges that needed to be overcome, he said.
"We are in a market where there is a lot of demand, which significantly exceeds supply," leading to delays in delivery, he said.

Internal wrangling over how the money should be spent has also bogged down spending decisions.
The planned purchase of 35 US-made F-35 fighter jets was thrown into doubt on Sunday, as it emerged defence ministry officials had raised serious concerns.
The ministry pointed to potential "delays and additional costs" in the nearly 10-billion-euro project, according to a document seen by AFP.
https://www.barrons.com/news/german...o-spending-target-by-2025-01670248808?tesla=y

 

[pigmode]

...Internal wrangling over how the money should be spent has also bogged down spending decisions.
The planned purchase of 35 US-made F-35 fighter jets was thrown into doubt on Sunday, as it emerged defence ministry officials had raised serious concerns.
The ministry pointed to potential "delays and additional costs" in the nearly 10-billion-euro project, according to a document seen by AFP.
https://www.barrons.com/news/german...o-spending-target-by-2025-01670248808?tesla=y

Inside Block 4—The Mostly Secret Plan For Making The F-35 Fighter Even More Lethal

The bottom line on Block 4 upgrades of the F-35 fighter is that without them, America's edge in air power will gradually erode.

www.forbes.com

The US military is throttling back on the F-35 as other militaries stock up on the stealth fighter

US Air Force officials "remain committed to the F-35," but they don't want to buy as many of them in 2023.

www.businessinsider.com

Delays in Block 4 implementation is a significant factor in budget priorities, production, and overall cost. It may turn out upgrade from active Block 3 aircraft to 4 will become cost prohibitive.

 

[muck]

Germany's procurement policies are terribly inefficient, that's for sure. Check this out: One of the reasons why the 2%-goal will not be met in 2023 is that planned ordnance procurements had to be postponed because they failed to realise in time there's not enough space to store all those goodies. How is that even possible? How can you spend eight months negotiating deals with suppliers and not know you don't have enough secure bunkers for bombs and missiles?

And then there's the legal forerun of government contracting. They're so anal about preventing corruption you're almost tempted to tell them to do hold out their hand if that's what it takes to get stuff done in that wretched place which is the German ministry of defence. Christine Lambrecht is, without a doubt, the worst minister of defence this country's ever had. She didn't even want the job, why doesn't she get fired?

Having said this, even when criticising blatant incompetence one has to stick to the facts. One must not be in the least surprised that Germany's F-35's will cost more per plane than what's being paid for by the Swiss. Comparing the two deals is tantamount to comparing apples and oranges. The deal negotiated by Germany comprises a much, much bigger weapons package than what the Swiss have ordered; and then there's the weakness of the Euro against the Dollar, an issue the Swiss don't have to contend with. It's plainly natural that our tab would be bigger.

 

[TheKiwi]

I suspect @muck that some of these problems stem from the fact that it's been almost 30 years since Germany has been dealing with such large volumes of anything. A lot of lessons will have been lost to time and retirements.

 

[Picanha]

The German procurement agencies were always pretty bad. Very incompetent.

Its an ineffective and a bureaucartic monster with abysmal output and track record.

They have 7000 civil servants and soldiers and it suffers from the German malaise of non reformable dinosaur agencies.

You can't sack people working in German authorities they are employed for life even if they f**kup everything and that repeatedly.

So these little Kingdoms lead a life of their own.

 

[Fish&Chips]

Frank Haun, the CEO of Krauss-Maffei Nexter said in a recent interview that the German armed forces had been squished like a lemon in the past years. "We should not believe that a lemon will regrow from the remnants if we pump juice back that is worth only EUR 100 bn." According to Haun, the German army suffers from a serious lack of rocket and barrel artillery, and the special defence fund announced by the government at the beginning of the Ukraine war could only be the start of an effort to rearm the Bundeswehr.

Ukraine-News ++ Scholz dämpft Hoffnung auf Einlenken Putins ++ - WELT

Der deutsche Bundeskanzler ist skeptisch bezüglich Gesprächen mit Putin. Diesem gehe es darum, etwas zu erobern. Derweil prangert der Chef des größten Panzerbauers Europas den desolaten Zustand der Bundeswehr an. Ihr fehle es aktuell „an allem“. Mehr im Liveticker.

www.welt.de

 

[pigmode]

In focus: delivering the Type 26 Frigates | Navy Lookout

www.navylookout.com

 

[Redav]

Germany approves 10 bln euro F-35 jet deal with U.S.

Germany got the go-ahead to buy F-35 fighter jets produced by U.S. defence giant Lockheed Martin as part of military procurement projects worth 13 billion euros ($13.85 billion), Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht said on Wednesday.

www.reuters.com

Germany signed the F-35 contract

-35 F-35A
-37 F135-PW-100
-105 AIM-120-C8
-4 AIM-120-C8 guidence sections
-75 AGM-158B/B2
-2 inert AGM-158B with test intrumentation
-2 AGM-158B test seperation vehicles
-344 GBU-53 SDB
-3 GBU-53 SDB2 guided test vehicles
-8 GBU-53 SDB2 captive carry reliability trainers
-162 BLU-109
-264 MK-82
-6 MK-82 inert filled GP bombs
-30 BLU-109 inert HPB
-180 KMU-557 JDAM for GBU-31
-246 KMU-572 JDAM for GBU-54
-75 AIM-9X block 2+
-30 AIM-9X CATM
-15 AIM-9X block 2+ guidance control units
-5 AIM-9X block 2+ CATM
-spare parts
-training for pilots and ground crews

Total cost +-8 Billion usd

 

[muck]

Yeah, it turns out the press coverage regarding the sum of ~€10 billion was simply misleading. The difference of €1.7 billion is used to revamp Buechel Air Base and and improve the base's resilience against aerial attacks. The first F-35 is set to be delivered in 2026.

Well, at long last Germany's begun spending some of that €100 billion cash injection (which inflation has already reduced to something along the lines of €80 billion, I hasted to add). Other items on this parliamentary session's shopping list include:

• 118.718 HK416 assault rifles to partially replace the HK G36
• 140 BVS10 Mk2b all-terain vehicles, with an option for another 210
• another 55 Puma infantry fighting vehicles
• the last outstanding upgrade of 141 IOC-grade Puma IFV to the FOC standard
• a first war stock of ammunition for Puma's main gun
• 34.000 units of the D-LBO digital command-and-control system to replace less secure communication equipment

Contracts for more Boxer armoured personnel carriers and CH-47F heavy transport helicopters are in the works to be signed soon. Also, there's now talk afoot that a procurement of the long-overdue replacement of the Gepard self-propelled anti-air gun is in the making. ES&T reported days ago that negotiations are underway for the Boxer Skyranger SPAAG. An initial batch could comprise 10 batteries with 70 vehicles in total, with one command vehicle and 6 weapons carriers each. Ukraine's experience with the Gepard seems to have really spurred their interest.

Also also, the deputy chief of defence of Germany, LtGen Markus Laubenthal, has detailed an upcoming reserve reform; he's also disclosed some information that is difficult to come by in the mine field that is German governmental secretiveness. According to his words, the German military could draw from a personnel reserve of 900.000 troops right now. The aforesaid number includes 109.740 volunteer reservists, of whom 34.000 are assigned to active units at any given time. This number of assigned reservists is to be raised to 100.000 in the coming years, and for the first time since 1990 reservists will be be allowed to keep their personal equipment at their place of residence again.

This is not going as quickly as I'd hoped it would, but still: Little by little, the bird builds its nest.

One aspect that is sorely missed admidst this reform is legislation to better protect reservists from the financial burden of their service, though. Right now there's no law that would effectively protect a reservist from being harassed by their employeer. Some reservists are bullied into taking unpaid leave for when they serve their active duty time; likewise, it's not unheard-of for a personnel manager to reject your application if they hear you're a reservist because they think it means you'll come and go as you please.

 

[av405]

Yeah, it turns out the press coverage regarding the sum of ~€10 billion was simply misleading. The difference of €1.7 billion is used to revamp Buechel Air Base and and improve the base's resilience against aerial attacks. The first F-35 is set to be delivered in 2026.

Well, at long last Germany's begun spending some of that €100 billion cash injection (which inflation has already reduced to something along the lines of €80 billion, I hasted to add). Other items on this parliamentary session's shopping list include:

muck, any word on how the modernization/expansion of the Leopard 2 tank force is going?

 

[muck]

There's no word on any expansion other than vague scenarios discussed in parliament. The current modernisation scheme is, generally speaking, on track, though it has been somewhat delayed by KMW's prioritising the refurbishment of Leopard 2A4s and Marder 1A3's sent to Czechia, Slovakia and Greece as compensation for their donations to Ukraine.

 

[Hiryu2.0]

News

Read the latest Press Releases from the Defence Forces

www.military.ie

 

[av405]

There's no word on any expansion other than vague scenarios discussed in parliament. The current modernisation scheme is, generally speaking, on track, though it has been somewhat delayed by KMW's prioritising the refurbishment of Leopard 2A4s and Marder 1A3's sent to Czechia, Slovakia and Greece as compensation for their donations to Ukraine.

Sorry, I was referring to the expansion announced a few years ago. I was just wondering how close Germany was to meeting that goal (320 tanks), or if it was still a goal.

Get Ready, Russia: Germany Is Expanding Its Tank Forces by 40 Percent

The new tanks represent a commitment to a larger tank force rather than to a next-generation tank design.

nationalinterest.org

 

[muck]

Britain's Chief of Staff General Sir Patrick Sanders has issued a stark warning about the state of the British Army. He said that the land force – which he described as sorely lacking in ammunition, artillery pieces and drones – suffered from decades of underspending, with an investment gap of £30 billion since 2015 alone. He said that British soldiers were relying on equipment from the Eighties, and that the legacy of the War on Terror had impaired their ability to fight peer adversaries. It would be "perverse", he added, to go ahead with plans to cut the size of army further. (Source, Paywall)